The moment of the enlightenment

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CHAN Master Kue Shan Ling Yu, when he was fifteen, he left his parents and become a monk in the Chien Shan Monastery in his town, he studied under the Vinaya Master Fa chang. later he was ordained at Lung Shing Monastery in Hang Chou.
He devoted himself to study the sutras and vinayas of both Mahayana and Hinayana-vippasana. At the age of twenty-three he traveled to Kang-Si, where he visited Master Po-Chang Huai Hai.

One day, Kue Shan was attending Master Po-Chang, who asked him :
" Who are you ?" Asked the master
" I am Ling Yu " said Kui Shan
" Will you poke the fire pot and find out whether there is some burning charcoal in it ? said po-chang.

Kue-shan did so, and then said , " there is no burning charcoal "

Master Po-chang rose from his seat. Poking deep into the fire pot, he axtracted a small glowing piece of charcoal which he showed to Kue-Shan , saying, " Is this not a burning piece ?

At this , Kuei-Shan was awakened. Thereupon he made a profound bow and told Po-Chang what had happened. Then Master Po-Chang explained :

" The method that I used just now was only for this occasion. It is not the usual approach. The Sutra said, " to behold the Buddha-nature, one must wait for the right moment and the right conditions. When the time comes, one is awakened as from a dream. It is as if one's memory recalls something long forgotten. One realizes that what is obtained is one' own nature and not the other from outside one' self. "

After enlightenment one is still the same as one was before. Only for the enlightenment , there is no mind and no dharma. One is simply free from unreality and delusion. The Mind of the ordinary man is the same as the the sage because the Original Mind is perfect and complete in itself.

 

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Enlightened by one stroke.

Zen Master, Hsiang-yen Chih-hsien of Teng-chou, was a native of Tsing-chou. when he was tired of conventional living with his family. He left his parent's home and went to visit Buddhist centres to study Zen / Chan.

He stayed at the Chan Monastery on Mount Kue where Master Kue-shan Ling-Yu as a Master.

One day , Kue-shan Ling -Yu said to Hsiang_yen. " I do not want to ask what you have understood from your studies and what you have remembered from all sutra and sutta. Now , just tell me a word what your original being to discriminate things. I want to register you as my disciple. "

Hsiang-yen did not know how to reply. after he had liberated for some time, he said a few word in which he attempted to express his ideas, but all that he had said was rejected by Kue-shan.

Hsiang-yen then implored Kue-shan to tell him the correct answer. Master replied , " Whatever I say is according to what I see. It will not benefit your insight. "

Hsiang-yen disappointed and returned to the monks' hall , where he reviewed all his notes but found nothing that would serve as a suitable answer. finally he axclaimed , " there is no hunger which can be satisfied by picture of food painted on paper !"

Thereupon he burned all his notes and memoranda and declared to himself , " in this life I shall never again study Buddhism. I shall be a plain homeless monk wandering the roads. I shall torment my mind no longer with such studies. " then he wept and bid good-bye to master Kuei-shan.

So he traveled around, and arrived at the tomb of National Teacher Na-yang Hui-chung, he built a hut nearby and stayed there. One day when he was weeding, a piece of rock which he had dislodged struck a bamboo tree. The sound it produced made him suddenly burst out laughing and quite unexpectedly opened his mind to state of enlightenment. He exclaimed , " Master ! Your kindness is beyond even that which my parents showed to me. If on that day you had spoken openly to me , how could this has happened."

Then he made a gatha :

With one stroke , all previous knowledge is forgotten.
No cultivation is needed for this.
This ocurrence reveals the ancient way.
And is free from the track of quiescence.
No trace is left anywhere.
Whatever I hear and see does not conform to rules.
All those who are enlightened.
Proclaim this to be the greatest action.

Hsiang-Yen came to the assembly and said, " The TAO is attained by one's inner awakening; it does not depend upon words. It is simply the reflection of illumination, and that is our whole daily task.

 

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terjemahan bebas

Pencerahan ala C'han / Zen sangat unik. Tidak ada pintu untuk memasukinya. Karenanya tidak bisa dilatih dengan metode apapun. Siswa buddhist C'han mengikuti latihan dan pembinaan hanya untuk mempersiapkan diri menyongsong momentum pencerahan.
Tidak seorangpun dari siswa C'han akan mencapai pencerahan melalui Meditasi , di mana dikatakan bahwa dia telah berlatih meditasi dengan sangat dalam ,dan telah menembus belenggu avijja sehingga telah mencapai pencerahan. Tidak ada di aliran C'han.
Tidak juga seorang siswa C'han berlatih gradual/ sistematik, dan telah mencapai kemampuan supranatural yg maha tinggi sehingga dikatakan telah mencapai pencerahan. Ini juga tidak ada di aliran C'han.

Itulah sebabnya C'han sangat sulit. Di aliran lain, seorang siswa belajar untuk mendapat kemampuan spiritual lebih banyak, sedangkan di C'han , seorang siswa belajar untuk semakin sederhana, bahkan dalam kemampuan2 spiritual pun ditinggalkan. Kesadaran dan pikiran semakin hari semakin sederhana sampai tidak ada ikatan pada apapun. Apalagi mengikatkan diri dengan mahluk2 suci. Siswa C'han tidak menolak bantuan mahluk suci, tetapi juga tidak mengharapkan apapun dari bantuan2 supranatural, campur tangan bantuan mahluk suci itu terlintas di pikiran saja tidak. Bahkan jika ada mahluk suci yg membantu , itu dianggap telah menghambat datangnya momentum pencerahan.

Pencerahan C'han, bukanlah menjadi sesuatu yg lebih hebat dan memiliki kemampuan supra sehingga bisa megendalikan hukum2 kehidupan. Kemampuan itu memang menggiurkan, tetapi Kesadaran yg bebas leluasa tidak membutuhkan hal2 itu semua.

Pencerahan itu tidak ada pintu , karenanya tidak ada jalannya , dan tidak bisa dicari, dan tidak bisa diusahakan untuk mencapai pencerahan. Semua latihan dan dharma hanya untuk membebaskan diri dari kemelekatan. Jika sudah waktunya, moment itu akan datang, kapan waktunya moment itu datang ? Tidak ada yg tahu. Siswa hanya bisa menunggu dan terus memurnikan diri dari semua kemelekatan.
C'han sangat sulit dilatih. Karena semakin dilatih maka semakin sedikit kemampuan supra yg dimiliki. Banyak siswa tidak menginginkan itu, mereka ingin mendapat lebih banyak kemampuan supranatural setelah berlatih sekian lama. Ada sesuatu yg harus didapat dari gemblengan selama itu. Sebagai indikator kemajuan. Mereka tidak siap tidak memperoleh apa2, setelah sekian lama berlatih bersusah payah, apalagi semua yg telah dimiliki harus ditinggalkan. Mereka tidak sanggup. Mereka menganggap bahwa pencerahan adalah sesuatu yg diperoleh melalui usaha. Mereka berharap mencapai dan mendapatkan sesuatu setelah berlatih ini dan itu. Mereka memang bukan praktisi C'han.